


My Promise to You

by foursugarcubes



Category: Dragalia Lost (Video Game)
Genre: Angst, Canonical Character Death, Character Study, Crying, Found Family, Hurt/Comfort, Minor Character Death, Spoilers for Chapter 14, Spoilers for Zena's Character Story, love!
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-01
Updated: 2020-07-09
Packaged: 2021-03-05 01:27:41
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 1,493
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25006165
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/foursugarcubes/pseuds/foursugarcubes
Summary: If she runs far away, she thinks to herself, past the reaches of Grastaea, further than anyone has ever been, maybe, just maybe she can live without seeing anyone die in front of her ever again.And yet.(Or, a deeper dive into Zena's narrative.)
Comments: 6
Kudos: 6





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Zena's story made me tear up so naturally-
> 
> Enjoy~

_Uphold your promise, brother. And I will uphold mine._

_Until then… I can only hope to continue onwards._

~*~*~

And thus, she continued. Through dozens of realities, and various times, she journeys almost stubbornly, praying to Ilia for some dear, sweet victory. Just once. That is all she needs.

But no. It never works.

She holds each of the fallen ones in her arms, screams as they smile warmly and their bodies turn cold while she stays perfectly okay, and it is too late to heal them, too late to save their world, too late to deem this anything but failure. 

Her eyes dull. The smile on her lips become more of a façade than reality. Part of her wishes she couldn’t feel for them. If she runs far away, she thinks to herself, past the reaches of Grastaea, further than anyone has ever been, maybe, just maybe she can live without seeing anyone die in front of her ever again. 

And yet,

_Don’t worry I got this! Go keep your promise to Euden!_

_I am putting all my chips on ya, so go and save the future!_

_No one ought to be alone, so go and find the people you care about!_

_Protecting the Auspex is a Paladyn’s sworn duty. So, in death — as in life — I shall ever be your shield._

_Hey, you know I’m always with you! Dead, alive, whatever — ‘ol Notte’s gotcha. So don’t cry okay? All that does is fog up your eyes._

If she doesn’t continue now, what will be of them? Who will carry their memories? Who will lay their sorrows to rest, and finally bring peace to their kingdom they so heavily fought for? Who else has the mana, the power to accomplish the goal that they all sought?

How else would she keep her promise to her brother?

She continues. She explains herself to every new reality. She gives herself to them, and they give themselves right back. She suffers with them. She fights for them. She mourns for them. She continues.

At the beginning of every new reality, in the forest of the first conflict, she screams. Until her throat runs ragged, she cries out their names, throwing herself onto the ground, tearing at the earth and demanding from Ilia that this, this needs to be the last time she goes through this. No more. No more. She cannot bear another death. She gets up, brushes herself off, wipes away her tears, and continues. She makes a promise to herself, the same one she makes every time she enters a new reality. The only promise she allows herself to break.

_Please, please let this time be the One. I do not wish to go on like this. I cannot..._

Her mana flickers.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Takes place after Zena's character story.

“You want me to… sit this battle… out?” Zena tilts her head slightly, eyebrows furrowed.

The Euden of this reality nods, his smile warm but firm. “Yes. You’ve given us a lot of crucial information that we desperately needed, and you’ve proven yourself more than capable of fighting but…” He looks down, his face scrunching up. Zena recognizes the expression well; her own Euden does the same. He’s sad and does not wish to burden anyone with it. “But with… all that you’ve been through, I believe it’s best for you to have some rest.”

Zena blinks. In all the realities she had visited, there was never a moment of pause; the mere thought of it left her stunned. She rubs her thumb along her cup of tea. The sounds of constant preparations for battle filter in through the window.

“I am confused… I know you and the others have the situation under control, but my powers as the Auspex — would it not make more sense for me to come along? I do not want to feel as though I’m not actively helping.”

“And that’s perfectly okay.” Euden gestures towards the window. “Look outside for a minute.” Zena could see the tops of many vibrant shades of hair… and more long ears than usual. “Laranoa and her village offered to lead this battle for us. The Dyrenell Empire plans to move in on the edge of their forest — they know the grounds infinitely better than we do. And because of that, many others, one who’ve fought in many other battles, can take a rest.” Euden smiles sadly. “We cannot fight all the time. It’s not in our nature, nor can we physically keep it up. Just because I don’t want you in this battle, Zena, doesn’t mean you aren’t still at my side, fighting with me.”

Zena places her teacup down. “You don’t understand, I need to see this through. I know this realm to be different than the rest; I know this is the one that finally succeeds. The mana flickering, Aurelius, and you still being here fighting Morsayati… this is my final attempt. And I will do everything in my power to make sure that I fulfill my promises.” She feels her volume rising with every word. “I will not back down so easily.”

Euden’s smile is gone. “That’s exactly the type of attitude that will get you killed.”

“If you have seen the deaths I have-“

“I do not need to,” Euden interrupts, no longer looking at her. She pauses. Euden sighs, and the smile is back, completely forced. Zena winces. “If…” the prince swallows, “if it were just one death, would that not be enough?” The Auspex freezes at his words. “All the other Me’s, and you’s, and the Notte’s and Cleo’s… they were all always trying. They weren’t _you_ , but the deaths they’ve seen still fueled their desire to fight, to stop this madness. And the promises you’ve made them… you must be the one to see it through.” Euden stands up from his chair and places a hand on her shoulder. “But you must not lose yourself in these promises. There are times to fight, and times to heal. You’ve been fighting ceaselessly, and only you know how long it really was. You deserve care. You deserve love.” 

Zena closes her eyes. The different worlds seem to all blur together, but in her heart, she knows how long it has been. She has lived through multiple lifetimes. She has seen the death of her nation, over and over again. She keeps count of her fallen friends, a number tucked secretly away in her heart. And yet, she cannot remember the last time she laughed, the last time she did not feel the weight of her burdens dragging her down. When… when was the last time she went a day without her sorrows etched out on her heart? “Euden-“

The prince senses her pain and wraps her in a hug without hesitation. Even in this life, Euden is the same. “I know all the other Me’s would have agreed. Rest now, Zena. Your promises are going nowhere.” He hums a faint melody Zena faintly remembers from their childhood, though the ending note is different. Tears fill her eyes.

~*~*~

Zena cries the same amount as before. Except, instead of a time where she was so utterly lost and alone, she now freely cries into the arms of her friends. They shower her in warmth, in love, and tell that it’s not her burden alone to bear anymore. They can shoulder her promises.

Her tears are also different because of their causes. She cries at Notte and Annelie kissing her on the cheek, she cries at the flowers Aldred sheepishly presents to her, she cries at the food Valerio prepares especially for her. To be surrounded by friends like this, who are so full of love and who are so much to her… she can’t help but cry. Some of them join her in tears, hugging her tightly, knowing how she feels and her history, vowing to protect her and help her in any way that they can.

“You’re with us now,” Laranoa tells her once, right before the sylvan leaves for a battle. Her hugs are so fierce Zena could barely breathe. The Auspex remembers her from a previous realm, urging her to take cover as the sylvan faces a dragon on her lonesome. 

_We’re family! I’ll always be with you. Now go!_ Zena had run, holding in her screams, hoping that her friend could forgive her.

“Laranoa, I-“ The hug grips tighter, and Zena could feel a wetness where Laranoa buries her head into her shoulder. 

“We’re family,” the sylvan says through sobs. Zena blinks. “I’ll come back to you. I promise.”

_Ah,_ Zena thinks, sniffling, _maybe that’s the difference between this world and all others._

~*~*~

_Uphold your promise brother. And I will uphold mine._

She waves towards the New Alberians leaving the Halidom, smiling at a very enthusiastic Laranoa jumping, and waving back from the front. They share a grin, determined and knowing.

_Until then… I hope to always be with them. We’ll all continue, together._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> haHA thats a wrap!!
> 
> thanks for going through with that with me,,, hope it was fun and feels-y!!

**Author's Note:**

> The next chapter will contain the comfort. Let me know what you think!


End file.
